Carnival is kids’ dream come true … plus plenty of fun stuff for grownupsAnyone who hasn’t taken in a Luverne Music Boosters’ Winter Carnival is missing out on a classic local annual experience.It’s like the Rock County Fair Midway, Chuck E. Cheese and a hundred birthday parties all in one.With cotton candy, balloons, face painting and a gym full of carnival games, it’s like a kid’s dream come true … for kids of all ages.There’s a ball/balloon pool for toddlers, Hot Wheels car races for grade-schoolers, a putting green and free-throw shooting for the big kids and plenty of other various games in between.The grownups say they’re there because of their kids, but who are they fooling?The bingo tables are always filled with grownups, and it’s the grownups whose names are called for the raffle winnings.The grownups bring little armies of kids with them on the cake walk to stack their odds, but we all know the kids aren’t that interested in winning cakes.I know I speak for a few adults, though, when I say it’s a good thing the event rolls around only once a year. After nearly three hours of Carnival madness Saturday night, I was more than ready to call it a night.Carson, who’s 4 now and much too old to be throwing temper tantrums, threw a temper tantrum when it was time to go home.He believed the cake walk could also serve as a dance floor, and as long as they were playing music, the party wasn’t over.I had no idea the gym was so long between the stage and main doors. It seemed like miles as people stared at me and my screaming preschooler. "I don’t want to go home!" he kept repeating.I left tired that night from the overstimulation of loud noises, big crowds … and, of course, from the tantrum.But driving home, it occurred to me I was probably nowhere near as tired as the students and parents who set up and ran the mammoth event … and who now had to clean it up.To pull off an event of the caliber of Winter Carnival no doubt takes dedication, organization and untold hours of hard work.Thanks to all of these volunteers for a fun night out and thanks to all who showed up to support the music program in Luverne schools.See the Variety Page on 1B of this week’s Star Herald for photographs and information about the night.

A little over a month ago, I put together a column about a bowling challenge between a co-worker and myself.Christine Mann, a member of the Star Herald co-ed team, and I squared off in what I tabbed the Showdown at Luverne Lanes.My less-than-stellar performance was good enough to best Mann that day, but I found myself on the receiving end of jokes and challenges offered by residents from all corners of the county.Considering my pathetic scores (98, 109 and 144 for a whopping 117-pin average) during the Showdown, I used the evasive tactic of changing the subject when the gauntlet was dropped in front of me.So far, the tactic has worked. I have not had to embarrass myself by making what would be another pathetic appearance at the local bowling alley.However, when I learned of the recent exploits of a local youth bowler, I’m toying with the idea of entering the arena of bowling once again. Not as a player, but as the partner of what I think could be a money-making operation with 12-year-old Johnathon Sudenga.Sudenga, a Luverne Middle School sixth-grader, is my new bowling hero.Two days after Mann and I rolled some of the most hideous scores in Luverne Lanes history, the son of Jeff and Lila Sudenga was dominating the competition in Pipestone at a District Qualifying Tournament for the Minnesota State Youth Bowling Tournament.One of three local boys to attend the tournament, Sudenga rolled a 726 series to win his handicap division. His best game at the qualifier was a 176, which, if I remember correctly, would have topped the combined score of the first game rolled by Mann and myself during our competition.By winning the qualifier, Sudenga earned the right to compete in the state tournament at Inver Grove Heights two weeks ago. Playing on what his father described as challenging lanes, young Johnathon managed to record 105-, 148- and 99-pin games to place in the middle of the pack in his handicap division."We’ve been bowling together for a couple of years, but this is the first year Johnathon has been going at it hard," said Jeff Sudenga. "He’s been bowling in the kids’ program in Luverne on Saturday mornings for the last four months, and he seems to be getting it pretty well down. He already knows how to adjust (to lane conditions) and things like that."Best of all, Johnathon is still a hungry bowler.When the father and son returned to Luverne from the state tournament, Johnathon asked his dad if they could go to Luverne Lanes and bowl a couple of games before going home.It’s that type of attitude that could turn our partnership into a success.I can see it now.Somebody will be trying to rope me into a bowling challenge, like they have many times since my disgraceful appearance at Luverne Lanes in early December.Only this time, I’ll reply in the third person, "John will gladly accept your challenge."After explaining that John should get a 40- to 50-pin per game bonus for the match (he did, after all, average 117 pins during his last three-game series), the bait will be in place.If the bait is taken, I’ll serve as the official scorer while my 12-year-old partner takes care of the bowling part of the business against an unsuspecting challenger.

As the Salvation Army’s 2005 service unit co-chairs in Rock County, we appreciate the hundreds of friends and supporters who have given donations and time to The Salvation Army. The Christmas fund-raising campaign is The Salvation Army’s most vital, accounting for nearly 75 percent of its annual fund-raising totals. It is vital because we depend on this support to fund year-round programs. We are pleased to report that in Rock County we raised more than $1,700 for the 2005 Kettle Campaign, all of which stays local.It is only with generous support from the county during this time that The Salvation Army is able to continue to offer visitation to the lonely, toys and coats to less fortunate children, summer camping experiences for those who may not be able to afford one and back-to-school supplies.Again, from volunteerism to contributions, we appreciate the kindness, compassion and generosity that our county has and continues to show. Glen’s Food Center again allowed us to set up our kettle in their store, and all the bell-ringers were so generous of their time. This support has helped us make a difference in the lives of those we serve.Greta Van Der BrinkPatti WienekeRock County Salvation Army Co-Chairs

By John RittenhouseA second-half rally by Hills-Beaver Creek fell one point short when the Patriots entertained Red Rock Central for a boys’ basketball game in Hills Saturday.After falling behind 40-32 in the first half, the Patriots battled back to tie the game twice in the final five minutes of play.H-BC, however, couldn’t overtake the Falcons in the end.RRC led by four points before H-BC’s Halden Van Wyhe drained a three-point shot at the buzzer, leaving the Falcons with a 60-59 win.The inside play of Aaron Esselink and David Hup kept the Patriots in the game. Esselink scored a team-high 21 points and pulled down six rebounds. Hup, who made six of eight field goals, scored 12 points and snared nine rebounds.Tom Scholten turned in a six-assist, six-rebound effort for the Patriots. Van Wyhe chipped in 11 points.The 1-14 Patriots host Round Lake-Brewster tonight before traveling to Fulda Tuesday.Box scoreVan Wyhe 1 2 3-4 11, Rozeboom 3 0 3-5 9, Finke 0 0 0-0 0, Scholten 1 0 2-2 4, DeBoer 1 0 0-0 2, Hup 6 0 0-4 12, Sandbulte 0 0 0-0 0, Esselink 8 0 5-8 21.Team statisticsH-BC: 22 of 51 field goals (43 percent), 13 of 23 free throws (57 percent), 30 rebounds, 22 turnovers.RRC: 22 of 51 field goals (43 percent), 10 of 20 free throws (50 percent), 22 rebounds, 15 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Hills-Beaver Creek girls made a bid to end a three-game basketball slide in Butterfield Tuesday.Taking on the Mountain Lake-Butterfield-Odin Wolverines in a Red Rock Conference clash, the Patriots played well enough to sport a lead during the first half.ML-B-O, however, rallied to take a 29-25 halftime lead and fought off a couple of challenges offered by the Patriots in the second half to notch a 51-47 win."We didn’t move the ball around very well in the first half," said H-BC coach Jason Blosmo."We moved the ball better in the second half and cut their lead to one point, but we couldn’t get the shots to fall after that."H-BC, which dropped its fourth consecutive game, received a 14-point, three-assist, three-steal effort from Chelsi Fink.Stacy Bush scored 13 points, collected nine rebounds, distributed five assists and charted three steals.Playing her first game since undergoing knee surgery in December, Kerri Fransman returned to the floor and recorded three steals and two assists.H-BC hosts Comfrey Friday before playing in Tyler Tuesday.Box scoreFransman 0 2 0-1 6, Bush 1 3 2-2 13, Tilstra 1 0 0-1 2, Fink 4 2 0-0 14, Helgeson 1 0 0-1 2, Roozenboom 4 0 2-4 10.Team statisticsH-BC: 18 of 62 field goals (29 percent), four of 11 free throws (36 percent), 28 rebounds, 10 turnovers.ML-B-O: 19 of 47 field goals (40 percent), 10 of 19 free throws (53 percent), 35 rebounds, 21 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne girls’ basketball team couldn’t produce a win during a pair of outings.The Cardinals lost a 20-point home decision to Marshall Friday before falling by 16 points to West Central near Hartford, S.D., Tuesday.Luverne attempts to snap a three-game skid when it travels to Worthington Saturday.WC 53, Luverne 37The Cardinals couldn’t recover from a rough start when they challenged West Central near Hartford Tuesday.WC led 9-5 after eight minutes of play before building a 14-point (24-10) halftime advantage.The hosts led 42-24 at the end of the third quarter before settling for a 16-point win at game’s end."It was a combination of turnovers and poor shooting that put us in a hole early. They took a couple of our scorers out of the game defensively, and we didn’t do much offensively at all," said Cardinal coach Jason Phelps.Maggie Kuhlman turned in a solid effort for the Cards by scoring 18 points, snaring eight rebounds and charting eight assists. Samantha Gacke registered a double-double by scoring 12 points and collecting 10 rebounds.Box scoreKlein 1 0 1-2 3, Nieuwboer 1 0 0-0 2, Snyder 0 0 0-0 0, Kuhlman 2 4 2-2 18, Hoiland 0 0 0-0 0, Vogt 1 0 0-2 2, Gacke 5 0 2-4 12.Team statisticsLuverne 14 of 52 field goals (27 percent), five of 10 free throws (50 percent), 34 rebounds, 31 turnovers.WC: 21 of 43 field goals (49 percent), nine of 13 free throws (69 percent), 26 rebounds, 17 turnovers.Marshall 43, Luverne 23The visiting Tigers outscored the Cards 29-9 in the second half to win Friday’s game in Luverne.Luverne, which entered the game with a strategy of being patient on offense, used the tactic to play the Tigers to a draw at 14 in the first half.The Cards led 17-16 after Erin Hoiland drained a three-point shot at the 15:18 mark of the second half, but the Tigers outscored LHS 27-6 the rest of the night to win by 20.In a low-scoring first half, Luverne recovered from an 8-3 deficit with a 6-0 spurt capped by a three-point shot from Kuhlman with 6:17 left to play to give the Cards a 9-8 edge.Marshall scored the next six points to gain a 14-9 lead, but Kuhlman sank a pair of free throws with 2.8 seconds remaining to tie the game at 14.Gacke led the Cards with seven points and 12 rebounds. Kuhlman passed for five assists. Hoiland charted three steals.Box scoreNieuwboer 1 0 0-1 2, Snyder 1 0 1-3 3, Kuhlman 0 1 2-4 5, Hoiland 0 1 0-0 3, Vogt 1 0 1-2 3, Gacke 3 0 1-3 7.Team statisticsLuverne: eight of 37 field goals (22 percent), five of 13 free throws (38 percent), 21 rebounds, 14 turnovers.Marshall: 14 of 47 field goals (30 percent), 13 of 16 free throws (81 percent), 33 rebounds, 16 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne boys’ basketball team snapped a three-game slide by rolling to a 15-point win in Pipestone Tuesday.The skid reached three games with a 26-point loss in Marshall Friday.Luverne, 11-3 overall, hosts Worthington for Parents’ Night Saturday.Luverne 52, Pipestone 37The Cardinals raced to a 30-15 lead in the first half and never looked back during Tuesday’s game in Pipestone.Marc Boleman, who blocked three shots along with scoring a team-high 18 points and collecting 10 rebounds, netted 11 points to help the Cards gain a 15-point lead at the intermission.Pipestone whittled the difference to nine points at one stage of the second half, but LHS thwarted the Arrows’ rally to end a three-game losing funk."It was nice to get a win on the road," said LHS coach Tom Rops."Pipestone came out in a zone defense in the first half, and we did a good job against it. We also rebounded the ball really well, probably as well as we have in quite some time."Derek Boeve and Jake Hendricks added 12 and 10 points to the winning effort. Nick Heronimus added eight rebounds.Box scoreBoelman 7 0 4-5 18, Miller 2 0 0-2 4, Hendricks 1 1 5-9 10, Boeve 5 0 2-6 12, Heronimus 3 0 2-3 8.Team statisticsLuverne: 19 of 45 field goals (42 percent), 13 of 25 free throws (52 percent), 26 rebounds, 13 turnovers.Pipestone: 15 of 51 field goals (29 percent), seven of nine free throws (78 percent), 23 rebounds, 16 turnovers.Marshall 80, Luverne 54The Cardinals dropped their third consecutive game when they traveled to Marshall for a conference clash Friday.Luverne played with the Tigers in the first half, trailing 39-31 at the intermission. Marshall, however, outscored the Cards 41-23 in the second half to win by 26."We came out flat in the second half and didn’t play very well. Give Marshall credit for executing its game plan of getting some turnovers and scoring easy baskets," said LHS coach Rops.Forcing the Cards to turn the ball over 20 times in the game and a 39-23 rebounding advantage lifted the Tigers to victory.Derek Boeve led LHS with 25 points and six rebounds. Marc Boelman netted 10 points and blocked four shots. Nick Heronimus recorded five assists.Box scoreBoelman 4 0 2-3 10, Miller 2 1 0-0 7, Hendricks 1 2 1-2 9, Boeve 5 3 6-8 25, Clark 0 0 1-2 1, Ward 0 0 0-2 0, Sawtelle 0 0 0-2 0, Heronimus 0 0 2-4 2.Team statisticsLuverne: 18 of 51 field goals (35 percent), 12 of 23 free throws (52 percent), 23 rebounds, 20 turnovers.Marshall: 28 of 63 field goals (44 percent), 19 of 31 free throws (61 percent), 39 rebounds, five turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Adrian girls’ basketball team bounced back from a Thursday loss to record back-to-back wins.After Southwest Star Concept nipped the Dragons by three points in Adrian Thursday, AHS secured a 36-point home victory over Windom Saturday. The Dragons posted a 10-point win over Red Rock Central in Jeffers Tuesday.Adrian, 8-7 overall, hosts Westbrook-Walnut Grove Friday and Round Lake-Brewster Tuesday.Adrian 64, RRC 54The Dragons delivered a birthday gift to head coach Randy Strand when they defeated the Falcons by 10 points in Jeffers Tuesday.After trailing the Falcons in the first half, the Dragons scored the final six points of the half to gain a 25-23 lead.AHS proceeded to score the first 10 points of the second half to gain control of the game much to the pleasure of Strand, who was observing his 50th birthday."The girls gave me a nice birthday present," he said.Sam Lynn, who charted four steals, recorded a double-double by scoring 15 points and passing for 10 assists. Brittany Bullerman scored 14 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Kelsey Tjepkes snared six rebounds and Emily Thier added five assists to the cause.Box scoreEr.Thier 1 1 0-0 5, Em.Thier 1 0 0-0 2, Tjepkes 3 0 3-4 9, N.Lynn 2 0 2-4 6, S.Lyn 4 1 4-6 15, K.Bullerman 3 0 3-4 9, B.Bullerman 6 0 2-2 14, Kt.Wiertsema 2 0 0-0 4.Team statisticsAdrian: 24 of 56 field goals (43 percent), 12 of 20 free throws (70 percent), 30 rebounds, 10 turnovers.RRC: 23 of 65 field goals (35 percent), five of 14 free throws (36 percent), 34 rebounds, 17 turnovers.Adrian 70, Windom 34The Dragons turned in one of the most impressive efforts of the season when they dominated the Eagles by 36 points Saturday in Adrian.Adrian raced to a 15-point lead (34-19) in the first half and iced the contest by outscoring Windom 36-15 in the final 18 minutes of play."We played pretty well," said AHS coach Strand. "We put some pressure on them and got some easy buckets."Brittany Bullerman led the Dragons with 22 points, 12 rebounds and three steals in the game. Katlin Wiertsema also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.Samantha Lynn added 14 points and five assists to the winning cause.Box scoreEr.Thier 1 0 0-0 2, Em.Thier 1 0 0-0 2, Tjepkes 2 0 0-0 4, N.Lynn 1 0 1-4 3, S.Lynn 4 1 3-3 14, Reisdorfer 2 0 4-4 8, Kl.Wiertsema 1 0 0-0 2, Block 0 1 0-0 3, B.Bullerman 8 0 6-10 22, Kt.Wiertsema 5 0 0-1 10.Team statisticsAdrian: 26 of 68 field goals (38 percent), 14 of 22 free throws (64 percent), 49 rebounds, 14 turnovers.Windom: 11 of 54 field goals (20 percent), 11 of 20 free throws (55 percent), 30 rebounds, 24 turnovers.SSC 42, Adrian 39A late-game rally by the hosts fell three points short when the Dragons entertained the Quasars Thursday in Adrian.Trailing by 10 points (34-24) with 7:46 left to play in the game, Adrian clawed its way back into the contest by putting together a 15-6 run capped by two free throws from Samantha Lynn with 25.6 seconds remaining to trail 40-39.SSC’s Shannon Hussong canned two free throws with 18.1 seconds showing on the clock to give the Quasars a three-point cushion. Adrian put up two potential game-tying shots in the final six seconds, but both attempts came up empty.After facing three two-point deficits in the early stages of the game, SSC gained its first lead at 7-6 and never trailed the rest of the game.The Quasars led 17-16 before closing the first half with a 6-0 spurt to gain a 23-16 advantage at the intermission.Lynn finished the game with 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Dragons. Brittany Bullerman led the hosts with 11 rebounds. Kayla Bullerman recorded five steals.Box scoreEr.Thier 2 0 0-1 4, Em.Thier 1 1 0-0 5, Tjepkes 0 0 2-2 2, N.Lynn 0 0 0-0 0, Reisdorfer 0 0 0-0 0, K.Bullerman 3 0 0-1 6, B.Bullerman 2 0 2-2 6, Wiertsema 0 0 2-2 2, S.Lynn 4 1 3-4 14.Team statisticsAdrian: 14 of 49 field goals (29 percent), nine of 12 free throws (75 percent), 29 rebounds, 17 turnovers.SSC: 17 of 49 field goals (35 percent), seven of 10 free throws (70 percent), 26 rebounds, 13 turnovers.

By John RittenhouseThe Luverne gymnastics team picked up its first Southwest Conference win of the season when it edged Pipestone Monday in Luverne.The Cardinals lost a home league match to Jackson County Central Thursday.Luverne, 11-6 overall, competes in Windom Friday.Luverne 131.375, Pipestone 129.975Victoria Arends and Morgan Bosshart captured individual titles to lead the Cardinals to a 1.4-point home victory over the Arrows Monday.Arends, who tied for third place on the floor with teammate Courtney Fodness (8.4 scores), won the bars and vault championships with respective 8.4 and 9.175 efforts.Bosshart tallied an 8.75 to win the floor title during the meet.Along with sharing third place with Arends on the floor, Fodness finished fourth on the beam with a 7.8.Brittany Mulder placed second on the floor (8.475) and tied for third place on the vault (8.9).Pipestone’s Lindsay Wolff, the all-around champion with 34.375 points, took top honors on the beam with an 8.8.Individual resultsBars: Arends, 8.4; Fodness, 8.05; Mulder, 7.925; Bosshart, 7.6; Krista Van Dyk, 7.5.Beam: Fodness, 7.8; Van Dyk, 7.5; Mulder, 7.475; Arends, 7.1; Brittany Sandager, 6.7.Floor: Bosshart, 8.75; Mulder, 8.475; Fodness, 8.4; Arends, 8.4; Jackie Broomfield, 7.225.Vault: Arends, 9.175; Mulder, 8.9; Bosshart, 8.885; Fodness, 8.6; LaRae Kor, 8.1.JCC 140.425, Luverne 132.725The Cardinals dropped their third consecutive conference match when they entertained the Huskies Thursday.JCC’s Kylla Bargfrede stole the show while leading the Huskies to a seven-plus point victory over LHS.Bargfrede won the bars (8.65), beam (9.325), floor (9.1), vault (9.275) and all-around (36.35) titles.Luverne’s Arends finished third on the bars and vault with respective 8.35 and 9.15 efforts. She placed fourth all-around with a 33.525 score.Mulder and Bosshart placed third and fourth on the floor with 8.85 and 8.8 tallies. Fodness finished third all-around with a score of 33.525.Individual resultsBars: Arends, 8.35; Fodness, 8.25; Mulder, 8.05; Bosshart, 7.75; Krista Van Dyk, 5.35.Beam: Fodness, 8.35; Arends, 8.25; Mulder, 7.35; Brittany Sandager, 6.8; Bosshart, 5.15.Floor: Mulder, 8.85; Bosshart, 8.8; Fodness, 8.425; Arends, 7.775; Jackie Broomfield, 7.3.Vault: Arends, 9.15; Mulder, 8.95; Bosshart, 8.85; Fodness, 8.775; LaRae Kor, 8.2.